Reported speech is the name we give to the set of grammatical structures we use to tell someone what another person said or thought. A statement that reports speech always has two main parts: a reporting (e.g. say, tell, ask, …) and the message (what the person said or thought). Exactly how we combine and phrase these, though, depends on a lot of different factors.
There are two main types of reported speech: direct speech and indirect speech.
Direct speech (or “quoted speech”) repeats someone’s exact words, usually within quotation marks. For example:
Rachel said, “I will meet you at the entrance at 9 a.m.”
Indirect speech shares someone’s message without using their exact words. For example:
Rachel said that she would meet us at the entrance at 9 a.m.
Rachel suggested we meet at the entrance at 9 a.m.
Indirect speech is more common in everyday conversation, but sentences like this involve more complex grammar rules.
It is important to know how to report speech in English. We repeat what other people said all the time in both writing and speaking. Whether you’re retelling a conversation, summarizing a book, or discussing a news report, understanding how to use reported speech in English is important.
In this post, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about reporting speech in English. We’ll start by looking at direct speech, and then we’ll spend the rest of the post on indirect speech. We’ll first cover some general rules for indirect speech and then we’ll go through how to report different types of speech, like statements, questions, instructions, and more. Let’s dive in!
When you want to give a direct quote in English, it means you’re reporting someone’s exact words, and you put those words inside quotation marks. We use this method a lot in books and the news, but it can also be used in speech, particularly in longer stories.
To do this correctly, we need to follow some grammar rules:
Put quotation marks ( “ ” ) around the words that you want to quote. For example:
Rachel said, “I love to watch movies.”
Put reporting verbs like say, tell, ask, and others before or after the quoted words. But where you put them affects the punctuation rules!
Follow these punctuation rules:
Add a comma ( , ) after the reporting verb.
Keep the same punctuation from the original text inside the closing quotation mark.
For example:
Rachel said, “I love to watch horror movies.”
Rachel asked, “What time does the movie start?”
Rachel thought, “What an excellent movie!”
Follow these punctuation rules:
End the sentence with a period.
Keep the question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!), but change the period (.) to a comma inside the closing quotation mark.
For example:
“I love to watch movies,” said Rachel.
“What time does the movie start?” asked Rachel.
“What a great movie!” thought Rachel.
In casual spoken English, you will probably hear native speakers use be like to introduce a direct quote. Check it out:
I was like, “Why are you hiding here?” and Margot was like, “We’re waiting to surprise Jim” So I was like, “Can I join you?” and she was like, “Sure!” So we stood behind the corner and when Jim came out of class we jumped out at him and Jim just went “WAAAAAA!” in this super high-pitched voice and it was so funny!
Be aware, though, that when English speakers use be like to report speech, they are not always representing someone’s exact words! This uses the grammar of a direct quote, but you can use be like even if nobody spoke at all! For example:
Jim and I were hiding in a bush and Margot came along and found us and was like “What the heck?” and so we explained that we were waiting there to surprise Mr. Hastings.
The biggest difference in indirect speech is that you don’t use quotation marks. Instead, you integrate the reported speech into your own statement using a or an . Exactly how this is done depends on whether you are reporting a statement, question, command, suggestion, etc.
Lisa said that she is very tired.
Lisa asked whether she could stay up late.
Lisa’s mother ordered her to go to sleep.
In this section, we will focus on some general rules for converting direct speech into indirect speech. Here are key aspects to consider:
Pronoun changes
Adverbial expressions for time alteration
Verb tense adjustments
We’ll talk more about how to report different types of speech further down.
While indirect speech is a common method to report what someone has said, there are other ways to communicate a person’s words or reactions, such as by using reporting verbs with actions. Here are some examples:
He agreed with the proposal.
She expressed surprise at the unexpected news.
He confirmed his participation in the project.
He denied his involvement in the incident.
In English indirect speech, we change all and related words (possessive adjectives, demonstrative words) to reflect the context in which the speech is reported. For example:
Original Quote | Indirect Speech | ||
|---|---|---|---|
I am coming. | Mary says that she is coming. | ||
My bag is red. | Mary says that her bag is red. | ||
I will help you. | Mary says that she will help me. | ||
They are coming to dinner with us. | Mary says that they are coming to dinner with us. | ||
This is my new purse. | Mary says that that is her new purse. | ||
I will stand over here. | Mary says that she will stand over there. | ||
Lisa is my best friend. | Mary says that you are her best friend. | ||
You and Lisa should go shopping. | Mary says that we should go shopping. | ||
Thomas is not very nice. | Mary says that Thomas is not very nice. | ||
Make sure to change the form of the verb to agree with the new subject pronoun as well!
In English indirect speech, we also change time expressions (e.g. that day, yesterday, soon, ...) to reflect the context in which the speech is reported. For example:
Original Quote | Indirect Speech | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Mark left for Paris yesterday. | Mary said that Mark left for Paris on Friday. | ||
I am leaving today. | Mary said that she was leaving the same day I talked to her. | ||
Margot is leaving tomorrow. | Mary said that Margot was leaving the next day. | ||
I am leaving right now. | Mary said that she was leaving right then. | ||
Patrick is leaving on Thursday. | Mary said that Patrick is leaving on Thursday. |
Here are some common ways to change time expressions if you are reporting a quote that was given a long time ago, or on a non-specific day. You will often see these in stories written in the past tense as well:
Original Time Expression | Reported Time Expression | ||
|---|---|---|---|
yesterday | the day before | ||
today | that day | ||
tomorrow | the next day | ||
now | then | ||
soon | a little while later | ||
last week / last Tuesday | the previous week / the previous Tuesday | ||
next week / next Tuesday | the following week / the following Tuesday |
We also change the tense of the verb in reported speech to reflect the context in which the speech is reported. However, you will only need to change the tense if the situation has changed or might have changed since the original quote was given.
For example, imagine John, Mary, and Lisa are at a party together. John had a conversation with Mary first, then he talks to Lisa:
Original Quote | Indirect Speech | ||
|---|---|---|---|
The food is being served in the next room. |
| ||
I will go home at 10. |
| ||
I met the host of the party at work. | Mary said that she met the host of the party at work. → The situation has not changed, so John does not change the tense. | ||
I can’t find the drinks. |
| ||
I am happy to see you! | Mary said that she was happy to see me. → Mary saw John in the past so that feeling is over now. | ||
I am going to go into the other room. |
| ||
I am hoping to see Margot tonight too. |
|
Here are the most common ways to change the tense in reported speech to show that a situation has changed or might have changed since the original quote:
Tense change | Original Quote | Indirect Speech | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Present simple → Past simple | The weather is not nice. | Mom said the weather was not nice. | ||
Present continuous → Past continuous | It is raining outside. | She mentioned that it was raining outside. | ||
Present perfect → Past perfect | The weather has been nice all week, though. | Mom told me that the weather had been nice all week, though. | ||
Past simple → Past perfect* | I slept well. | Mom said that she had slept well. | ||
| I will make a cake next time. | Mom said that she would make a cake next time. | ||
You can often use either the past simple or the past perfect to report a quote that originally used the past simple. However, there is a slight difference. Let’s have a look!
Mary said, “I ate already.”
Mary said that she ate already.
Mary said that she had eaten already.
The difference is not always important, but you are more likely to see the past perfect if it has been a long time since someone spoke.
As mentioned earlier, reporting verbs play a crucial role in connecting a speaker’s reported statement with the original text. Different reporting verbs are used for various sentence types. Let’s explore how to use these verbs for different purposes.
In English, a statement can be reported using a direct quote or an indirect speech clause that begins with the word that (though the word that can sometimes be deleted).
We use two different types of verbs to report statements: those which require a recipient and those that do not.
Reporting verbs with a recipient:
Reporting verbs in this group always specify the person who someone spoke to. The recipient is the object of the verb. Common verbs in this group include tell, inform, notify, make aware, or let know.
Tom told Mary, “I have a cold.”
Tom told Mary (that) he had a cold.
“Tom has a cold,” Mary informed me.
Mary informed me that Tom has a cold.
When you use make aware or let know the object comes after the first part of the reporting verb:
Tom made Mary aware that he had a cold.
Mary let me know that Tom had a cold.
These verbs are not used for direct speech and are always used with that.
Reporting verb without a recipient:
These reporting verbs do not take an object and do not require a recipient. All verbs for thoughts, beliefs, and writing fall into this group, but most reporting verbs for speaking are part of this group as well, for example: say, yell, state, whisper, write, think, and more.
Tom told, “I can’t come to school today.”
Tom said (that) he couldn't come to school.
Tom thought, “I should start working on the assignment.”
Tom thought (that) he should start working on the assignment.
Tom wrote, “Mary is a liar.”
Tom wrote that Mary was a liar.
If you want to specify a recipient with a verb like this, you can usually do that by adding to + recipient, but usually it is better to just use another reporting verb.
Tom said to Julie, “I can’t come to school today.”
Tom thought to himself that he should start working on the assignment.
In English, we use reporting verbs like ask, inquire, wonder, ponder, or want to know to report a question.
When you report a question directly, you can just use one of the reporting verbs above, and use a question mark at the end of the direct quote:
Margot asked, “Are you coming?”
Margot wondered, “Is he lying to me?”
When reporting questions in indirect speech, there are additional important rules to remember:
No subject-auxiliary inversion:
In direct questions in English, we usually switch the order of the and , but in indirect questions, we maintain the usual order of subject and verb.
She asked, “Who was he chasing?”
She asked who he was chasing.
Use if or whether for yes/no questions:
When you indirectly report a , you’ll need to introduce the question with if or whether (or sometimes whether or not). If you’re reporting a content question, though, the interrogative word (e.g. who, what, which, where, ...) is all that you need.
Margot wondered if James was coming to the party.
Margot wondered whether James was coming to the party.
Margot wondered who was coming to the party.
Margot wondered when James was coming to the party.
End with a full stop (period):
Notice in the example above that the direct question ends in a question mark, but the indirect question does not. This is because the indirect question becomes part of a statement. The sentence states that a question was asked.
Just like the reporting verbs we use for statements, the reporting verbs we use in questions can be used in different grammatical patterns. The three main patterns are:
Reporting verb + reported question:
Most reporting verbs for questions can be used in this structure, including ask, wonder, ponder, want to know, and inquire.
He wanted to know if he needed to submit the paper that night.
She asked who she needed to talk to for an extension.
“What am I doing?” she wondered.
Reporting verb + object + reported question:
The most commonly used reporting verb in this structure is ask. It is used when one person is asking another person an indirect question.
Mom asked me whether I was hungry.
Mom asked me, “What do you want for dinner?”
Reporting verb + about / as to + indirect question:
This structure is often used to express a more formal or detailed inquiry. Reporting verbs such as ask and inquire are typically used in this context.
He asked about whether she was hungry.
He inquired as to who she was.
There are several ways to report that someone gave an instruction, command, request, or advice. You can report a command using direct speech, for example:
“Pick up your toys!” she demanded.
However, it is more common to hear these types of speech reported using indirect speech. Here are four common structures and reporting verbs to use:
Reporting verb + object + with to:
This structure is the most basic way to report a command. It is used with verbs like ask, advise, order, command, tell, instruct, and urge.
Mom asked Dad to come home early that night.
Mom told us to wait there till she returned.
For negative commands, you can add not to the to infinitive.
The coach advised us not to run in the swimming pool.
Mom instructed us not to touch that hot stove.
Reporting verb + that + subject + :
This structure for reporting a command is more formal. Common verbs used in this structure include ,ask request, demand, advise, order, command, bid, suggest, argue, propose, recommend, and insist.
He demanded that she leave.
Teacher requests that students be on time for class.
This structure is often used when the command was not spoken directly to the person who must follow it. For example, when a teacher makes a rule or a government makes a law.
say + infinitive with to:
This is a very informal way to report a command. Usually the command is for both the person reporting the command and the person who the command is reported to.
Mom said to clean up our lunch.
bid + object + bare infinitive
This structure is very uncommon in modern English, but you might hear it in poetry or old writing.
He bade her stay a while.
Have a look at our chart of reporting verbs for indirect speech to see a few other ways to report commands, requests, or advice!
There are two main ways to indirectly report that someone asked for or demanded permission:
Reporting verb + infinitive with to:
Common reporting verbs used with this structure include ask, request, demand, and beg.
She asked to use the restroom.
They begged to stay up a little longer.
Reporting verb + (object) + if / whether + subject + can / could:
In this structure, we use reporting verbs that generally report questions, like ask, inquire, or wonder. For example:
Sam will ask her boss if Martha can leave.
They asked if they could bring their pets to the store.
These are used to report polite requests.
In indirect speech, you don’t need to use words like please and they are often removed.
There are two main ways to indirectly report that someone made a suggestion. In general, we use reporting verbs like suggest, recommend, and propose in both structures:
Reporting verb + (that) + subject + bare infinitive
This structure is used for a strong or confident suggestion.
He suggested (that) they attend.
She recommended (that) he come early.
Reporting verb + (that) + subject + modal of possibility
Use this structure for a hesitant or very polite suggestion.
He suggested (that) she might attend.
She proposed (that) they could meet later.
There are a couple different ways to report that someone made a promise:
Promise+ (object) + infinitive with to:
This is the most common way to report that someone made a promise about their own behavior.
Sarah promised to finish the project on time.
Sarah promised her friend to help with the project.
Promise / say + (that) + subject + will / would:
You can use this structure to report that someone made a promise about their own behavior or about someone else’s behavior. For example:
Sarah said / promised (that) she would finish the project on time.
Sarah said / promised (that) her friend would finish the project on time.
Promise / assure / tell + object + that + subject + will / would:
This structure is used when a promise is spoken to someone specific.
Sarah told her friend that she would help with the homework.
And now you’ve seen how to report speech in English! Here are the most important things to take away from this post:
Direct speech reports exact words using quotation marks.
Indirect speech reports the message, using a subordinate clause or infinitive phrase.
When reporting speech in a subordinate clause (for indirect speech), the pronouns, time adverbs, and verb tenses depend on the reporting context and do not always match the original quote.
We saw the sentence patterns used to report statements, questions, requests for behavior, requests for permission, suggestions, and promises. Check out this list of English reporting verbs and their patterns to review!
Now, let’s practice using English reporting verbs!
